The Doctor Named Xia Was Impressive

"Not the physical level?" Xia Tianhuo paused for a moment, then laughed, "Then it's the psychological level? You mean those kidnappers were influenced by external forces, like they were possessed, and then they started killing each other?"

Wang De'an said, "You could also call it hypnosis."

"Yes, yes, hypnosis sounds more 'scientific'," Xia Tianhuo said with a smile.

"Mr. Xia, do you think this is very likely?" Zhao Feng then asked.

Xia Tianhuo feigned deep thought and said, "So, in other words, the kidnappers on my ship, like the people of Montamira, were under some kind of group hypnosis. Whether it was the eight-armed, eight-eyed giant or the octopus-like sea monster, they were all illusions, hypnotized creations? But I have a thought. You two, look, there was a riot in Montamira that night, and many Chinese tourists were attacked. This group illusion directly saved many of their lives, and I am also Chinese... Do you think this might be the work of special departments or personnel in our country, protecting the safety of our people?"

Zhao Feng laughed and said, "Old Wang also mentioned this guess of yours. He said that if that eight-armed, eight-eyed illusion had a nationality, it would most likely be Chinese."

While observing the expressions and eyes of the two, Xia Tianhuo chuckled and said, "Don't laugh at me, but I told my friends and my sister that the sea monster might be some kind of invisible guardian spirit of our Xia family."

"Mr. Xia, do you think... the purpose of that illusion was to save you? Is there any specific evidence? For example, any special feelings or discoveries you had before?" Zhao Feng asked.

Xia Tianhuo shook his head and said, "No, it's just a gut feeling, haha, people always subconsciously think of themselves as more important. But after this incident, I have indeed had some small changes in my mindset... By the way, you two have interviewed quite a few people who experienced that incident recently. Do you have any conclusions about the impact of the hallucinations in Montamira? Have there been similar incidents in China? Have you checked whether similar hallucinations have occurred in China or other countries before? I've seen many people online claiming to have seen various monsters or hallucinations before, but most of them seem unreliable." He was now quite certain that these two people knew something beyond what happened in Montamira and at sea.

Zhao Feng and Wang De'an exchanged a glance, and the former pondered for a moment before saying, "As for the domestic situation, we are actually investigating it as well..."

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the private room, and then the restaurant owner, You Meng, personally brought over a plate of complimentary new dishes.

He greeted the three people in the private room, briefly introduced the dish, and then said, "Since you two are Brother Huo's friends, then you are my friends too. Please don't stand on ceremony here, and make sure you eat and drink well. This dish is a new item in our restaurant and hasn't been officially launched yet. Brothers, please help me taste it first and see if there's anything that needs improvement. Just let me know."

Xia Tianhuo laughed and said, "Lao You, did Chef Xiang make this dish, or did you develop it yourself?"

You Meng glared at him. "I'm not telling you! Blind taste test! I've noticed that you guys all have a kind of blind worship for Ah Kun. As long as he develops a dish, you think it tastes 50% better. In the end, what you eat in the restaurant isn't actually made by him, it's all made by me or our chefs in the kitchen. You guys, just eat according to the taste of the dish, don't learn that fan culture stuff!"

Xia Tianhuo said, "Come on, Lao You. That 'Sweet and Spicy Flying Rabbit' dish that you developed before received a lot of bad reviews. People online are saying that the chef must have made it while sleepwalking."

"Our friendship is over! Our friendship is over!" You Meng laughed. "If I could beat you up, I would have punched you!"

Xia Tianhuo chuckled and said to Zhao Feng and Wang De'an sitting opposite him, "I was just joking. Lao You's cooking skills are absolutely superb. The dishes he makes are always delicious. That 'Flying Rabbit' dish was just an accident; he overdid it and messed it up."

You Meng chatted and laughed with them for a few more minutes, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Ah Kun said in the group chat that he was coming back today with Ms. Tang and Ms. Yang, right? Are you going to pick them up at the airport, or is Lao Xia going? Are you coming over here for dinner tonight?" After everyone got to know each other, they basically all called Xia Libing "Lao Xia" along with Xiang Kun, Yang Zhen'er, and Tang Baona.

Xia Tianhuo said, "Lao Xia went to pick them up. They should have dinner in town before going back to the village. Sigh, I wonder if Little Bell will come along this time. I really miss her big fat cat, and Little Apple's big fat bird."

After exchanging a few more words of laughter, You Meng went out to get busy.

Zhao Feng said, "Mr. Xia, if you have something to attend to, you can go ahead and do it. We're not planning to leave right away anyway; we'll be staying here for a few days, and we can continue our conversation later."

Xia Tianhuo waved his hand with a smile and said, "It's nothing, I don't need to be polite with you. My cousin and her family are going back to Haixi Province today. My cousin will be at the airport to pick them up. It's none of my business."

He glanced at his phone and said, "They should be arriving soon. We can have dinner together again tonight and get to know each other. Speaking of which, my cousin used to be a doctor at a hospital, but she quit and came to Tongshi Town. And she doesn't even stay in the town; she went to a village here to do research. It's not just her; there are many other people who come from big cities, stay here for a while, and don't want to leave. Don't you think this place has some kind of magic?" As he spoke, he pondered that he could ask Lao Xia to help him probe and analyze Zhao and Wang that night. With Lao Xia's abilities, he was sure he could dig out more information.

Zhao Feng could sense that Xia Tianhuo was less wary and more relaxed when she mentioned her family, so he deliberately followed up on the topic, saying, "Speaking of female doctors, I'm reminded of a news story I covered during the Spring Festival. A female doctor was strolling with her boyfriend late at night when they encountered two armed robbers. Guess what happened? The doctor and her boyfriend cornered the two robbers in an alley and beat them until they cried. When the police arrived, they were like they'd seen saviors, yelling for help. If I remember correctly, that female doctor's surname was also Xia. Are all female doctors with the surname Xia this fierce?"

This wasn't actually a news report he interviewed; it was a case he handled personally, with some differences in details. It wasn't about kidnappers; he just happened to remember it and used it on the spot, intending to use it to introduce the next topic, to explore the Xia Tianhuo incident itself, the reasons for his kidnapping, and whether it was directly related to the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster." Before the kidnapping, did he really know nothing about the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster"?

Xia Tianhuo laughed and said, "My 'Dr. Xia' is definitely much better than the 'Dr. Xia' in your news. Moreover, my 'Dr. Xia' is not only good at fighting, but also very smart. I often tell people that if my Lao Xia hadn't studied medicine and had become a police officer, he would definitely be a master detective! A super detective!"

Zhao Feng was about to continue his prepared remarks when a sudden thought struck him. He remembered Xia Tianhuo's nickname for Chef Xiang. And Boss You here seemed to call this Chef Xiang "A-Kun"? If this person's name had two characters, could it be Xiang Kun?

He could never forget that name. On the night of the 29th of the twelfth lunar month before the Lunar New Year, the case he and Old Xu handled left the deepest impression on him. The person who impressed him the most was not the aloof, tall, and beautiful Dr. Xia from the Third Hospital, but the bald, burly man, Xiang Kun.

This guy, all unarmed, beat two armed thugs until they were crying for their parents, and he was completely unharmed. It was an absolute crushing victory, like an adult bullying a kindergarten child. What surprised him most about Dr. Xia was his calm demeanor.

If the "Chef Xiang" Xia Tianhuo mentioned is Xiang Kun, then the "Lao Xia" or "Dr. Xia" he mentioned, and his cousin, must be the Dr. Xia who used to work at the Third Hospital?

He couldn't help but recall the background information about Xia Tianhuo provided by the information gathering department, especially the information about family members. It seemed that Xia Libing's name wasn't included? Oh right, this time the background information only included information about immediate family members. The information gathering department was a bit lazy this time.

However, from a probability standpoint, the fact that both names contain the characters "Xiang Youkun" and "Dr. Xia" suggest that they are the two individuals involved in the case that night.

Just as Zhao Feng was lost in thought and reminiscence, Wang De'an was also very interested in a word that Xia Tianhuo had just mentioned to You Meng. However, he could tell that Zhao Feng was trying to steer the conversation, so he had been holding back from speaking. Now that he saw that Zhao Feng had stopped talking, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Xia, is the 'Little Apple' you just mentioned a friend's nickname? It's quite a unique nickname. Is it because of the song 'You Are My Little Apple' from a few years ago?"

Xia Tianhuo laughed and said, "It's a friend's nickname, but I don't know why she's called 'Little Apple.' Maybe it's because she was very cute when she was little, with rosy cheeks like Little Apple."

He had been watching their expressions closely and naturally noticed their uncontrollable reactions. However, what puzzled him was that what triggered their intense reaction was not the things he had deliberately tried to test them with, but rather two seemingly simple conversations.

Why did Zhao Feng react so strongly to his praise of Lao Xia's fighting skills and intelligence? And what's the deal with Wang De'an? Does he know Little Apple?

Wang De'an continued, "I had a colleague whose niece was also Little Apple, so I couldn't help but ask her about it. That girl was incredibly cute and beautiful, but unfortunately, she was born blind. Sigh."

"Oh? Your senior wouldn't happen to be surnamed Li, would he?" Xia Tianhuo asked in surprise, "Our Little Apple was also born blind."

"Little Apple also has a very clever canary guide bird," Wang De'an continued.

"Yes, yes, it really is the same apple." Xia Tianhuo nodded repeatedly. Canary Guide Bird is almost unique, there's no way it could be wrong. But then he frowned and said, "Wait a minute, I heard Professor Li say that he has a younger brother who is a criminal police officer, but I've never heard of any other brothers who are reporters or work in the media industry. Could it be that your senior colleague, Reporter Wang, is Professor Li's cousin?"

Wang De'an smiled naturally and said, "To be honest, before I entered the media industry, I was also a policeman in Rock City. Little Apple's uncle, Li Sheng, is a senior officer in the Municipal Bureau, and I've dealt with him a few times. Not only me, but Xiao Zhao was also a policeman before, so we are all relatively new to the media industry, and we may be a bit inexperienced in interviewing techniques."

He had already noticed that Xia Tianhuo was suspicious of their identities, and his words weren't as sincere as they had been at the beginning in Myanmar; it was as if he was testing them. Since Xia Tianhuo knew Little Apple and Professor Li, he might as well just reveal their previous professions. After all, for them, their past identities weren't something they needed to keep secret or hide.

Xia Tianhuo was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Wow! No wonder I sometimes feel like I'm giving a statement when I'm chatting with you two, haha, just kidding, just kidding."

As they were talking, You Meng suddenly pushed the door open and walked in again, this time without even knocking beforehand.

You Meng walked to Xia Tianhuo with a serious expression, handed him his phone, and said, "Look at this, it's all over WeChat Moments now, and it's trending on Weibo too."

A few hours ago, in Peng City.

Xiang Kun was loading Tang Baona and Yang Zhen'er's luggage into the car; they were heading to the airport to return to Haixi Province.

Not far away, Liu Shiling, being led by her mother, was pitifully seeing them off, while Yang Zhen'er held her in her arms and rubbed her little face.

She naturally wanted to go to Chongyun Village with the bald uncle, the pretty older sister, and the old fairy sister. Not only her, but also a certain fat cat in the family wanted to go.

In fact, she and Egg Pie had only recently returned from Tongshi Town and Chongyun Village. After Xiang Kun's birthday, she was taken by Lao Xia to Chongyun Village to stay for a while and only returned on September 1st.

Now, she is a proud primary school student, and she has to go to school. She can't go out and play except during holidays.

"Don't worry, Little Bell. When the National Day holiday comes, your mom will bring you to Chongyun Village. We'll get the quarantine certificate for Egg Pie in advance. Your Little Apple Sister and Gold Glitter should be back in Chongyun Village by then, so you two 'Little' crosstalk duo can put on a show together again!" Xiang Kun put down his luggage, walked back, squatted down, and gently pinched the Little Chubby Girl's cheek.

"Uncle Bald, it's 'Bell Apple,' it's 'Bell-Apple Duo,' not 'Little Combo,'" Liu Shiling corrected softly but firmly.

"Okay, I got it, Little Bell-Apple Duo, haha."

After getting on the bus, I heard the Little Chubby Girl, held in Shiling's Mother's arms, waving and shouting outside, "Goodbye, bald uncle, pretty sister, fairy sister!"

The child's voice, still sweet and innocent, betrayed a deep reluctance and even a hint of loneliness. Yang Zhen'er couldn't help but rub her nose. "Oh, I feel like crying."

Sitting in the passenger seat Xiang Kun turned around and laughed, "Nana, quickly recite 'Outside the Long Pavilion, Along the Ancient Road,' and Lao San will definitely burst into tears immediately."

Yang Zhen'er glared at him. "Nana is a superstar now, does she think she can just sing whenever she wants?" But she stopped mid-sentence, remembering that Zhang Qian's company driver was still in the car, and didn't dwell on the topic. Instead, she asked, "By the way, Chef Xiang, you've been traveling for so long this time, it seems you even went abroad? What exactly did you do there? Was it a business trip or just slacking off? I'm the head of our company's finance department now, whether you get your travel expenses reimbursed depends on whether I'm willing to stamp it!"

"Haha, it was half official, half personal. I checked out the 'market' and 'infrastructure' situation in various places, and also met with a few 'online friends' to check on their status," Xiang Kun said, half-jokingly.